JPH0557901A - Ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] If the ink runs out near the end of the recording work, the recording work can be continued by supplying a small amount of ink, and the recording work can be performed without replacing with a new inkjet recording head. To finish. A first ink container 1 that accommodates an ink ejection port 8, an absorber 6 that is in communication with the ink ejection port 8 and is impregnated with ink, the ink ejection port 8 and the first ink container 1 In an ink jet recording head having an energy acting portion for applying ejection energy to the ink, the ink jet recording head is disposed upstream of the ink ejection port 8 and accommodates and seals the ink. The second ink container 14 and the seal releasing means 15 for releasing the sealed state of the second ink container 14 are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head in which a recording head portion and an ink container for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head portion are connected to form a cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional ink jet printer, a recording head portion for ejecting ink onto a recording medium and an ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head portion are separately provided at separate positions. They are provided and are connected to each other through an ink supply system including a supply pipe. However, since such an ink jet printer generally requires a long supply pipe, it is complicated at the time of piping and the size of the entire apparatus is increased.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 63-17621, an ink jet system in which a recording head unit of a so-called thermal ink jet printer, which uses heat to fly ink, and an ink tank are integrally connected to form a cartridge, is formed. An inkjet printer using a recording head is disclosed.

Further, in the ink jet printer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-22952, a porous body is adhered to the bottom surface of an ink tank mounted on the carriage to suppress ink swing due to reciprocating movement of the carriage. ,
Even when the carriage is moved at a high speed, it is performed to reduce the fluctuation of ink pressure at the ink ejection port.

Here, as described above, as an ink jet printer using an ink jet recording head in which a recording head portion and an ink tank are integrally connected to form a cartridge and a porous body is provided in the ink tank, , Hewlett-Packard Company of the United States has developed products called paint jet and desk jet, and they are beginning to spread widely in the market. The inkjet recording head used in these inkjet printers is a so-called disposable type, and it is necessary to replace the entire inkjet recording head with a new inkjet recording head after the ink in the ink tank is consumed. Inkjet printer users must always have a new inkjet recording head for replacement.

[0006]

When the ink in the ink tank is used up without the replacement ink jet recording head being prepared, recording cannot be continued. Then, the recording work is completed if two or three more sheets can be recorded, but there may be a situation in which the recording work must be temporarily stopped in the midway because there is no replacement inkjet recording head. is there.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink ejection port, a first ink container communicating with the ink ejection port and containing an absorber impregnated with ink, and the ink ejection port. In an ink jet recording head having an energy acting portion which is arranged between an outlet and the first ink container and which applies ejection energy to the ink, the ink jet recording head is arranged on the upstream side of the ink ejection port. A second ink container that accommodates ink and is hermetically sealed, and a sealing release unit that releases the sealed state of the second ink container are provided.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the first ink container is provided.

According to the invention of claim 3, claim 1 or 2
In the invention described above, the needle-like member for punching a hole in the second ink container by piercing the second ink container is provided as the sealing release means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an ink ejection port, a first ink container communicating with the ink ejection port and containing an absorber impregnated with ink, the ink ejection port and the first ink. In an ink jet recording head having an energy acting portion arranged between a container and an energy acting on the ink, a small chamber which is partitioned by a partition member having a small diameter opening and stores ink Is provided between the ink discharge port and the absorber.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the first ink container is provided.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the ink in the first ink container is used up, the second ink container is stored in the second ink container when the sealed state of the second ink container is released by the sealing release means. The ink is supplied to the periphery of the energy acting portion, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection port under the action of the ejection energy from the energy acting portion, and the second ink container is discharged even after the ink in the first ink container is exhausted. Only the ink stored inside can be continuously recorded.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the sealed state of the second ink container is released by the sealing release means based on the detection result from the detection means that detects that the first ink container is out of ink. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the print is blurred due to the recording operation being continued after the ink in the first ink container is exhausted, and it is possible to save the waste of performing the recording again for the print in which the blur is generated.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the second ink container can be unsealed by the unsealing means having a very simple structure such as a needle-shaped member.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the ink in the first ink container is used up, the ink contained in the small chamber is opened through the opening by vibrating or shaking the ink jet recording head. It is provided around the energy application part, eliminating the need for de-sealing means.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the detection means detects that the ink in the first ink container is exhausted. Therefore, since the ink in the first ink container is exhausted, a small amount may occur before the print is blurred. Ink can be supplied from the room.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the invention described in claims 1 and 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a first ink container 1 is provided, and an ink jet recording head which is made into a cartridge by integrally connecting the recording head unit 2 to the first ink container 1 is provided. The first ink container 1 is formed by a container body 3, a top plate 4 that covers the upper end of the container body 3, and an ink supply port 5 that guides ink toward an ink ejection port described later. An absorber 6 impregnated with ink is housed in the container body 3, and a filter 7 is attached to an end of the ink supply port 5 close to the absorber 6.

The recording head unit 2 comprises an orifice plate 9 having an ink ejection port 8 and a recording head substrate 10. The recording head substrate 10 has an electrode unit 11 for receiving an image information signal inputted from the outside. An energy acting portion 12 that applies ejection energy to ink in accordance with an image information signal, and an ink supply port 13 that communicates with the ink supply port 5 are formed. Here, the orifice plate 9 is formed by plating a nickel plate formed by photoelectroforming with gold. Further, the recording head substrate 10 is one in which the energy acting portion 12 and the like are formed on a silicon wafer by using a so-called semiconductor process technique such as a thin film forming technique, a photolithography technique, and an etching technique.

Next, a second ink container 14 is provided on the ceiling of the ink supply port 5 between the recording head unit 2 and the filter 7, and the second ink container 14 is provided. Ink is stored in a sealed state. The second ink container 14 is made of a material that can be easily released from the sealed state by piercing a needle-shaped member described later, for example, a resin such as polyethylene. At a position facing the second ink container 14, a hole 16 for inserting a needle-like member 15 which is a seal releasing means for releasing the sealed state of the second ink container 14 is formed.

In such a structure, when the cartridge type ink jet recording head is set in the ink jet printer to start the recording operation, the ink impregnated in the absorber 6 passes through the ink supply ports 5 and 13 and the energy acting portion. 12 reaches the periphery of 12, and is ejected as an ink droplet from the ink ejection port 8 under the action of ejection energy from the energy application portion 12 and adheres to the recording medium to perform recording.

Next, when the ink in the first ink container 1 is used up, the recording operation cannot be performed, and it is necessary to replace the entire cartridge type ink jet recording head with a new one. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the needle-like member 15 is inserted through the hole 16 and the second ink container 14 is inserted.
The ink stored in the second ink container 14 is pierced by the ink and the second ink container 14 is released from the sealed state.
It is possible to perform recording using the ink that has been supplied to the periphery of the second ink container 14 and has been stored in the second ink container 14. Therefore, when the ink in the first ink container 1 is exhausted near the end of the recording operation, the recording operation can be continued by using the ink in the second ink container 14, and the recording operation can be ended. .. For this reason, it is possible to save the trouble of replacing the inkjet work head with a new ink jet print head immediately before the end of the print work, and to stop the print work just before the end of the print work because the new ink jet print head has not been prepared. Is prevented from occurring. The amount of ink stored in the second ink container 14 is required to be at least one recording medium, and preferably about 10 recording mediums can be recorded. Amount.

Here, the principle of ink droplet ejection in the ink jet printer and the basic structure of the recording head portion for ejecting ink droplets will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. First, FIGS. 5 to 8 show EDGs.
The basic structure of an E.SHOOTER type recording head portion is shown. The recording head portion is formed by joining a lid substrate 17 and a heating element substrate 18. An individual electrode 19, a common electrode 20, and a heating element 21 (energy acting portion) are formed on the heating element substrate 18, and the lid substrate 17
A flow path 22 that covers the upper portion of the heating element 21, an ink chamber area 23 to which one end of the flow path 22 is connected, and an ink inlet 24 that communicates with the ink chamber area 23 are formed in the ink flow path 22. .. An orifice (ink ejection port) 25 is formed at the other end of the ink flow path 22.

Next, FIG. 9 shows EDGE / SHOOTER.
This shows the principle of ejection of ink droplets when a type of recording head unit is used. The figure (a) is a steady state, and the surface tension of the ink and the external pressure are kept in equilibrium on the orifice surface. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the heating element 21 is overheated and the surface temperature of the heating element 21 rapidly rises, a boiling phenomenon occurs in the adjacent ink layer and minute bubbles 26 are scattered on the surface of the heating element 21. is there. The same figure (c) shows the heating element 2.
The adjacent ink layer that is rapidly overheated on the entire surface of No. 1 is instantly vaporized to form a boiling film, and the bubble 26 has grown. At this time, the pressure in the flow path 22 rises by the amount of growth of the bubble 26, the balance with the external pressure on the orifice surface is lost, and the ink column starts to grow from the orifice 25. The same figure (d)
Indicates that the bubble 26 has grown to the maximum, and ink corresponding to the volume of the bubble 26 is pushed out from the orifice surface. At this time, no current is flowing in the heating element 21, and the surface temperature of the heating element 21 is decreasing. In addition,
The timing when the volume of the bubble 26 reaches the maximum value is slightly delayed from the application timing of the electric pulse. FIG. 6E shows a state in which the bubble 26 is cooled by ink or the like and starts to contract. At the front end of the ink column, the ink column moves forward while maintaining the pushing speed, and at the rear end, the ink flows backward from the orifice surface into the flow channel 22 due to the pressure decrease in the flow channel 22 as the bubbles 26 contract. Constriction occurs. In the same figure (f), the bubble 26 is further contracted, and the heating element 21
The ink is in contact with the upper surface of the heating element 21 so that the upper surface of the heating element 21 is further rapidly cooled. On the orifice surface, the external pressure is higher than the pressure inside the flow passage 22, so that the meniscus largely enters the flow passage 22. On the other hand, the tip of the ink column becomes an ink droplet, which is ejected toward the recording medium (not shown) at a speed of 5 to 10 m / s. In the same figure (g), ink is supplied again into the flow path 22 by the capillary phenomenon after the discharge of the ink droplets is completed, and the state returns to the state of (a) in the figure, and the bubbles 26 disappear completely. There is.

On the other hand, FIG. 10 shows SIDE / SHOOTE.
It shows the basic structure of the R type recording head,
The flow path 22 is formed in a direction parallel to the ink inflow port 24. FIG. 11 shows the principle of ink droplet ejection when this SIDE / SHOOTER type recording head unit is used. In the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 9, the state of FIG.
After that, the state returns to the state of (e) in the figure, which is the same state as that of (a) in the figure, and ink droplets are ejected during that time.

Here, the recording head portion 2 of the ink jet recording head integrated with the ink container shown in FIGS.
Is of the SIDE / SHOOTER type described above, but an ink jet recording head integrated with an ink container can be configured even when the EDGE / SHOOTER type recording head unit is used.

Next, the basic structure of the bubble generating means is shown in FIG.
It will be described based on 2. In the drawing, 27 is a heating resistor, 2
8 is an electrode, 29 is a protective layer, and 30 is a power supply device. As the useful material constituting the heating resistor 27, e.g., a mixture of tantalum -SiO _2, tantalum nitride, nichrome, silver - palladium alloy, silicon semiconductor or hafnium, lanthanum, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, Examples thereof include borides of metals such as molybdenum, niobium, chromium and vanadium. Among these materials constituting the heating resistor 27, metal boride can be mentioned as an especially excellent one. Among them, hafnium boride has the most excellent characteristic, and then lanthanum boride is next. , Vanadium boride, and niobium boride in that order.

The heating resistor 27 can be formed using the above-mentioned materials by a method such as electron beam evaporation or sputtering. The film thickness of the heating resistor 27 is determined according to the area, the material, the shape and size of the heat acting portion, and the actual power consumption so that the amount of heat generated per unit time becomes a predetermined value. However, in the normal case,
The thickness is 0.001 to 5 μm, preferably 0.01 to 1 μm.

As the material forming the electrode 28, many of the commonly used electrode materials are effectively used.
Specifically, Al, Ag, Au, Pt, Cu, and the like can be given, and these are provided at a predetermined position, with a predetermined size, shape, and thickness by a method such as vapor deposition.

The characteristic required for the protective layer 29 is that it does not prevent the heat generated in the heating resistor 27 from being effectively transferred to the ink, and protects the heating resistor 27 from the ink. .. Materials useful as the material of the protective layer 29 include, for example, silicon oxide, silicon nitride,
Magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide,
Examples thereof include zirconium oxide and the like, which can be formed by using a technique such as electron beam evaporation or sputtering. The thickness of the protective layer 29 is usually 0.01 to 10 μm.
m, preferably 0.1-5 μm, optimally 0.1-3 μm
Is desirable.

Next, a second embodiment of the invention described in claims 1 and 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those described in FIGS. 1 to 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the second ink container 14 is provided in the container body 3, and the sealed state of the second ink container 14 is released at a position facing the second ink container 14 in the container body 3. Needle-like member 15 for
A hole 31 for inserting is formed.

Therefore, when the ink in the first ink container 1 is exhausted, the needle-like member 15 is inserted through the hole 31 and pierced into the second ink container 14 to release the sealed state of the second ink container 14. As a result, the ink contained in the second ink container 14 is supplied to the periphery of the ink supply ports 5 and 13 and the energy acting portion 12, and recording using the ink contained in the second ink container 14 is performed. I can do it. Since the second ink container 14 of this embodiment is provided on the upstream side of the filter 7, the second ink container 1
The ink supplied from No. 4 is also filtered by the filter 7, which is advantageous in preventing clogging of the ink ejection port 8.

Next, a third embodiment of the invention described in claims 1 and 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, similarly to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 13, the second ink container 14 is provided in the container body 3, and the air communication hole 32 formed in the container body 3 is inserted with the needle member 15. It is also used as a hole to be used.

In this embodiment, the needle-shaped member 15 having a long dimension is required because the distance between the atmosphere communication hole 32 and the second ink container 14 is large. It is possible to prevent the ink in the second ink container 14 from leaking out from the air communication hole 32 when pierced, and it is possible that the leaked ink stains the operator's hands and the surroundings of the inkjet recording head. To be prevented.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention described in claims 1 and 3 will be described with reference to FIG. A second ink container 35 containing ink is formed by a hard container body 33 and a soft resin film 34 such as polyethylene, and the second ink container 35 is provided with an ink via a bellows-shaped stretchable portion 36. It is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the first ink container 1 in the portion facing the supply port 5. The bottom surface of the ink supply port 5 has a needle-shaped member 3 serving as a seal releasing means.
7 is fixed, and the tip end of the needle-shaped member 37 penetrates through a hole 38 formed in the upper surface of the ink supply port 5 and extends into the space surrounded by the expansion / contraction part 36. It faces the resin film 34.

In such a structure, when the ink in the first ink container 1 is used up, the second ink container 3
By pressing the container body 33 of No. 5 downward, the expandable portion 36 is bent, and the needle-like member 37 is formed as shown in FIG.
The tip portion of the is pierced into the resin film 34. As a result, the ink in the second ink container 35 flows down through the hole 38, and the ink supply ports 5 and 13 and the energy acting portion 12
It is possible to perform recording using the ink that is supplied to the surroundings of the second ink container 35 and is stored in the second ink container 35.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention described in claims 2 and 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is different from the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 in that the sensor 3 which is a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the first ink container 1
9 is provided on the bottom surface of the ink supply port 5.

Therefore, by detecting that the ink in the first ink container 1 is exhausted by the sensor 39, it is possible to know the time when the sealed state of the second ink container 14 should be released, and the first ink container 1 Even after the ink inside is exhausted, the occurrence of a situation where prints are blurred due to continuing recording work is prevented,
It is possible to eliminate the waste of re-recording a print with a blur.

Now, detection of the presence or absence of ink by the sensor 39 will be described. First, a heating element is provided on the bottom surface of the ink supply port 5, and air bubbles are generated in the ink by energizing the heating element for a short time.
Similarly to the case described in FIG. 11 and FIG. 11, generation, growth,
The behavior of contraction and disappearance is repeated. When the ink is sufficiently present around the heating element, the generated and grown bubbles are cooled by the surrounding ink when the energization is completed, and immediately shrink and disappear, and the surface temperature of the heating element also drops sharply. To do. Generally, when such film-boiling bubbles are generated, the surface temperature of the heating element is 300 to 400 ° C., and when the bubbles disappear after the energization is terminated, the surface temperature becomes 100 ° C. or less. On the other hand, when there is no ink around the heating element, the heating element is in a so-called empty state when the heating element is energized, and the time when the surface temperature of the heating element decreases after the completion of energization occurs when ink is present. Much longer than that. When the number of times of energization is increased, when ink is present, the cycle of bubble generation, growth, contraction, and disappearance is repeated under a substantially constant condition, and the surface temperature of the heating element is high (about 400 ° C.) and low. Repeat the cycle (about 100 ° C.). On the other hand, when there is no ink, the surface of the heating element is not cooled by the ink,
Due to the heat storage, the surface temperature of the heating element gradually rises. Therefore, the presence or absence of ink can be easily detected by detecting the surface temperature of the heating element. Next, as a means for detecting the surface temperature of the heating element, for example, there is a thermocouple. The above-mentioned heating element is formed by using the same technique as that of the heating element substrate for ejecting ink droplets, that is, the sputtering, photolithography and etching techniques on the silicon wafer. Therefore, a thermocouple can be formed on the heating element or in the vicinity thereof by using the same technique. Here, as a suitable thermocouple, for example, a gold-nickel or tungsten-nickel thermocouple formed by sputtering. When such a thermocouple is formed on the heating element, for example, S
An insulating layer of iO ₂ is formed to a thickness of about 1 μm, and a protective film such as SiO ₂ or Si ₃ N ₄ is formed on the thermocouple in a thickness of 1 to ₂ μm.
To the thickness of.

As a means for detecting the surface temperature of the heating element, there is a resistance thermometer in addition to the thermocouple. There are two types of resistance thermometers, a metal type and a semiconductor type, and platinum is used as the material for the metal type. A semiconductor type is called a thermistor, and a suitable material is one using SiC. Besides, C
oO-Al ₂ O ₃ -CaSiO ₃ systems can also be utilized. Similar to the case of forming a thermocouple, both are formed on or near the heating element by a technique such as sputtering or photolithography.

Here, an embodiment for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the first ink container 1 will be described. The method of forming the heating element is similar to that of the heating element for ejecting ink droplets.
A 1 μm thermal oxide film was formed on the substrate of the i-wafer, HfB ₂ was sputtered on it for 3000 Å, and the heat generation region was 100 μm × 100 μm. The electrode is Al 8
000Å Sputtered. Thus on a heating element formed by the SiO ₂ as the insulating layer 900
0 Å Sputtering, then 100 μm in heat generation area
Sputtering photoetching was performed to a size of 100 μm to form a gold-nickel thermocouple, and further,
SiO ₂ as a protective film was sputtered thereon to a thickness of 1.5 μm. Using a thermocouple formed on such a heating element, an applied pulse of 30 V and 7 μs is input to the heating element 20 times at a frequency of 2 kHz, and 30 μs after the final pulse is applied in the case with ink and the case without ink. When the temperature is detected later, it is 70 ° C. when there is ink and 420 ° C. when there is no ink, and the presence or absence of ink can be detected by a thermocouple, that is, as an electric signal.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the sensor 3 is used.
Although 9 is composed of a heating element and a thermocouple provided on or near the heating element, the sensor may have the following configuration. That is, in the recording head portion 2, an energy acting portion (heating element) 1 for forming ink droplets
2 is formed, and if a thermocouple or thermistor is formed on or near the energy acting portion 12, it is not necessary to separately form a heating element for temperature detection, and the structure becomes compact.

Next, an embodiment of the invention described in claim 4 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a small chamber 41 partitioned by a partition member 40 is formed on the ceiling side of the ink supply port 5, and ink is stored in the small chamber 41. The partition member 40 has a small room 4
An opening 42 having a small diameter is formed to connect 1 and the ink supply port 5.

In such a structure, when the ink in the first ink container 1 is exhausted, the small chamber 41
The ink inside is kept in the meniscus state at the opening 42 and remains inside the small chamber 41. Therefore, the meniscus state of the ink in the opening 42 is destroyed by shaking the ink jet recording head or applying a slight impact, and the ink in the small chamber 41 is transferred from the opening 42 to the surroundings of the ink supply ports 5 and 13 and the energy application unit 12. Supply and continue recording work. Here, in the present embodiment, when the ink in the small chamber 41 is supplied to the periphery of the ink supply ports 5 and 13 and the energy acting portion 12, the needle-like member 15 as described in FIGS. 1 to 4 is used. There is no need, and the structure is simplified, and ink can be easily supplied from the small chamber 41 when the ink in the first ink container 1 is used up.

Next, an embodiment of the invention described in claim 5 will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the embodiment described in FIG. 17 in that a sensor 39, which is the detection means described in FIG. 16, is provided, and the presence or absence of ink in the first ink container 1 is detected by this sensor 39. Is.

Therefore, by detecting that the ink in the first ink container 1 is exhausted by the sensor 39, it is possible to know the time when the ink should be supplied from the small chamber 41, and the inside of the first ink container 1 can be known. It prevents the occurrence of a situation where prints are blurred due to continuing recording work even after the ink in the
It is possible to eliminate the waste of re-recording a print with a blur.

[0046]

As described in the first aspect of the present invention, the second ink container that contains the ink and is sealed is provided on the upstream side of the ink ejection port, and the sealed state of the second ink container is released. By providing the sealing release means, when the ink in the first ink container is exhausted, the sealing state of the second ink container is released by the sealing release means to remove the ink stored in the second ink container. The ink can be supplied to the periphery of the energy application part, and therefore, even if the ink in the first ink container runs out immediately before the end of the recording work, the recording work is completed by using the ink in the second ink container. Can be done
As in the invention described in claim 2, the detection means for detecting the presence / absence of ink in the first ink container is provided in the invention described in claim 1, so that the print may be blurred based on the detection result from the detection means. It is possible to supply the ink from the second ink container before the occurrence, so that it is possible to eliminate the waste of re-recording the print in which the blur has occurred, and, like the invention according to claim 3, By providing the needle-like member for piercing the second ink container as the seal releasing means, the structure of the seal releasing means and the seal releasing operation can be simplified, and as in the invention according to claim 4, a small diameter By providing a small chamber that is partitioned by a partition member having an opening and that stores ink between the ink discharge port and the absorber housed in the first ink container, By or shaking vibrated to Kujetto recording head can be supplied with ink in the small chamber from the opening to the surrounding energy application section,
Therefore, since the sealing releasing means is not required, the structure is simplified, and the ink can be supplied from the small chamber by a simple operation. Further, as in the invention according to claim 5, By providing detection means for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the first ink container with respect to the described invention, the ink is supplied from the small chamber before the print is blurred based on the detection result from the detection means. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to eliminate the waste of re-recording a print with a blur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing an embodiment of the invention described in claims 1 and 3. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

4A and 4B are views showing a seal releasing operation of the second ink container by the needle-shaped member, FIG. 4A is a vertical sectional front view showing a state immediately before the seal releasing operation, and FIG. 4B is a state immediately after the seal releasing operation. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a basic structure of a recording head unit.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where the lid substrate is viewed from the back surface side.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a partially enlarged cross section thereof.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of ink droplet ejection.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the basic structure of another type of recording head unit.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of ejection of ink droplets in another type of recording head unit.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional front view showing the basic structure of the bubble generating means.

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional front view showing a second embodiment of the invention according to claims 1 and 3.

FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional front view showing a third embodiment of the invention according to claims 1 and 3.

FIG. 15 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention according to claims 1 and 3, and (a) is a vertical cross-sectional front view showing a state in which the second ink container is maintained in a sealed state, (b). FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view showing a state in which the sealed state of the second ink container is released.

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional front view showing an embodiment of the invention described in claims 2 and 3.

FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional front view showing an embodiment of the invention as set forth in claim 4;

FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional front view showing an embodiment of the invention as set forth in claim 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st ink container 6 Absorber 8 Ink discharge port 12 Energy acting part 14 2nd ink container 15 Sealing release means 35 2nd ink container 37 Sealing release means 39 Detection means 40 Partition member 41 Small room 42 Opening

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink ejection port, a first ink container communicating with the ink ejection port and containing an absorber impregnated with ink, and a first ink container disposed between the ink ejection port and the first ink container. An ink jet recording head that is provided and has an energy acting portion that applies ejection energy to the ink, and a second ink container that is disposed upstream of the ink ejection port and that accommodates and seals the ink. And an unsealing means for unsealing the second ink container. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting the presence / absence of ink in the first ink container. 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a needle-like member for punching a hole in the second ink container by piercing the second ink container is provided as a sealing release means. 4. An ink ejection port, a first ink container communicating with the ink ejection port and containing an absorber impregnated with ink, and a first ink container disposed between the ink ejection port and the first ink container. In an inkjet recording head having an energy acting portion that is provided and applies an ejection energy to the ink, a small chamber that is partitioned by a partition member having an opening having a small diameter and that stores the ink is the ink ejection port. An inkjet recording head provided between the absorber and the absorber. 5. The ink jet recording head according to claim 4, further comprising detection means for detecting the presence / absence of ink in the first ink container.